Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-22
A MODERN UTOPIA.
A LAND ALMOST AS ENCHANTING
AS A DREAM OF PARADISE.

Pleasing Characteristics of the japanese
People-A Country of Many Holidays.
The Poor Never observation-disclosures
Festiyals-Sacred Mountain.
Living in such scenes OF enchantment, these
people are as light Of heart and sunny III dis
position as children, and so polite and pleas
ure loving as to excite the admiration OF even
their French and Italian visitors There is
70 Dwelling so humble but it has a spot for
trees and flowers. The rich have gardens in
which are faithful reproductions in miniature
Of their varied landscapes, hidden in trees and
Towering shrubbcry. Every farmers plot
of land Is beautiful and adorned. The gold
Of the ripened rice and wheat is contrasted
against background OF green foliage. What
ever name may he given to the religion of
that people, and whatever creeds and doc
trines may have been engrafted upon their
beliefs, the main feature of their worship is
All intense love, amounting almost to an ado
ration, Of nature. This appears in their
whole life. They have built their temples on
the sides of the great mountains, EMPOWERED
them in overhanging groves, and surrounded
them with everything of Towering shrub
The sites of these command beautiful views
of the surrounding country, and usually are
near fountains and waterfalls The village
shrines are located in the most charming spot
of the neighborhood, and no labor is spared
to adorn and beautIfy them. The highways
are bordered by rows of trees planted CEN
turtles ago, whose branches form an evergreen
arch over the head of the traveller. The road
to Nikko, where the temples and tombs of the
I've of
giant frs For sixty miles one may ride in
the shade of these wide branching trees.
From Yokohama south of kioto, the old Cap
ital, 400 miles, the road is one continuously
shaded avenue, winding along the ocean
shore, around narrow. bays and inlets and
over high hills and mountain sides.
no LACK OF HOLIDAYS.
Unlike their neighbors, the Chinese, the
japanese take time from their toll to enjoy
all this Their government may have been
despotic and arbitrary, but it never over
worked It's laboring population. 1t gave
them more holidays than any people under
the sun ever enjoyed They had what was
known as the .'Ichi-roku" days-that is, all
the DAYS III the lunar months that were desig-
mated by one o. six Thus the LIST, 9Th, 18th,
10th, 2lst and Goth days of each month were
birthdays Of the ruling emperor and empress,
and also of several of the greatest of their
predecessors of the ruling dynasty, which
reaches back through 1900 years, are holt
DAYS Every village has holidays in honor
of Its patron saint, and the saints of the
famous temples and shrinos have festal days.
On all of these the people, in their holiday
dresses, gather at the temples and shrincs for
thanksgiving and to admire the beauties of
earth and sky. Pilgrimages are a marked
feature Of the japanese life, but they are not
characterized by the austerity OF the Chris
tan and Mohammedan world. No school
children, liberated from long study, could be
happier and gayer than these people as they
go along the shaded highways. Whole neigh
borhoods turn out their population, leaving
only enough people at home to care for the
households, and go sometimes hundreds of
miles on what may appropriately be called
these religious picnics. They walk along the
shaded avenues, talking, laughing and sing
ing. They rest when weary from walking in
the shade of the great trees by some clear
stream or some bubbling spring. All these
great highways are lined with tea booths
where tea, rice, eggs or cakes can be had for
an incomparably low price.
in the villages, which are almost cOntinu
Gus along these roads, there are numerous
hotels where these pleasure seeking pilgrims
get their dusty feet bathed on arrival, bath
before retiring, two meals and Il bed for ten
or fifteen cents for each person. Forty miles
east from Yeddo are the temples of Martha,
situated in picturesque spur Of the great
central mountain range The road leading
there is one long avenue of trees planted soc
years ago 1t runs through green, fertile
fields witA the Bay of Yedsio, dotted with
countless white sails oH the one hand, and the
great mountains on the other. During half
the year this broad road is lined with parties
of pilgrims on their way to or from these
temples. Every mile OF two has its village
OF hotels for the entertainment OF these
people Some of these caravansaries acconlo-
date 600 guests. The number Of people visit
ing these shrines annually will reach more
than 10000 In the spring, when the rice
has been planted, the national rice festiva!
takes place. This festival continues for six
days. The people go out into the fields, into
the valleys, or on to the terraced hill and
mountain sides to the shrines Of the patron
saint of agriculture, and there give thanks
for the sun and rain that have given such
promise of an abundant harvest. At night
every town is.briIiantly lighted, and rejoic-
ing with music aud dancing is heard TIL long
into the night.
FLOWER FESTIVALS
The spring and summer bring the flower
festivals, when city and village streets for
miles are filed with the most beautiful floral
exhibitions and crowds of admiring people.
There is no more beautiful sight than one OF
these long, wide streets lighted at night and
filled with flowers. The love Of the beautiful
has led the japanese to foreGo the srosser
pleasures OF eating the fruit of the cherry
tree in o;iier that they may enjoy the beauty
and fragrance Of the cherry blossoms There
are large groves Of the double lowered cherry
trees ii ali parts Of the country, which grow
to enormous size. The flower Is as large as a
rose. and when in full bloom these groves are
a marvel OF beauty, and are visited by thou
sands of people, who spend the whole day IN
these foUcry avenues. The chrySant hcmum
gardens 10 be found in all towns and villages
are points Of great attraction. in these are
TO be seen every variety of that flower, every
shade OF color and almost every SIC oi bios
som.
The summer secs streams OF people, the
poor as well as the Tich, gong To gaze at
Fuiiama, the pearl OF mountains. 10 per-
son is so poor and no distance so great but
what several pilgrimaGes are made IN q life
time to this venarated mountain. In the
autumn. when the golden rice and wheat,
and the brown lnillet have been gathered,
the harvest festival is held il every psrt of
the country There in the groves, on soft
green carpets spread by nature, under the
full harvest moon, they make merry, night
after night, with song ard dance. 4: these
harvest festivals all classes, from prince 10
peasant. rejoice over the ample winters
store II is nos only III this intense worship
OF nature that the beauty OF their country
has nodded and influenced their natural char
acter It is seen in their domestic inter
,S,,,,Sa In all tina co,v.r1t ton lit;ss of no